Phillips Raymond Holmes (July 22, 1907 â€" August 12, 1942) was an
American actor. For his contributions to the film industry, he was
posthumously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.Born
in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Edna Phillips and stage star
Taylor Holmes, Holmes enjoyed a privileged childhood and received his
education at Trinity College, Cambridge, the University of Grenoble
and a year at Princeton University where he was spotted in the
undergraduate crowd during the filming of Frank Tuttle's Varsity in
1928 and offered a screen test. In the early 1930s, he became a
popular leading man, playing leads in a few important productions,
notably in Josef von Sternberg's An American Tragedy (1931).At
Paramount, he starred in melodrama and comedy. In 1933, his contract
with Paramount ran out and he moved to MGM for one year. As the decade
progressed, Holmes' career declined, and he appeared in a few
box-office failures, including Sam Goldwyn's poorly received Nana
(1934). His last American movie was General Spanky (1936). In 1938, he
appeared in two UK movies. Housemaster was his last film, and he
returned to acting on stage in the United States.In 1933, Holmes was
driving with actress Mae Clarke when he crashed into a parked car.
Clarke, who suffered a broken jaw and facial cuts, sued Holmes for
US$21,500 (equivalent to $424,639 in 2019), claiming that he had been
driving while drunk. Clarke dropped the suit when Holmes agreed to pay
her medical expenses.
American actor. For his contributions to the film industry, he was
posthumously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.Born
in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Edna Phillips and stage star
Taylor Holmes, Holmes enjoyed a privileged childhood and received his
education at Trinity College, Cambridge, the University of Grenoble
and a year at Princeton University where he was spotted in the
undergraduate crowd during the filming of Frank Tuttle's Varsity in
1928 and offered a screen test. In the early 1930s, he became a
popular leading man, playing leads in a few important productions,
notably in Josef von Sternberg's An American Tragedy (1931).At
Paramount, he starred in melodrama and comedy. In 1933, his contract
with Paramount ran out and he moved to MGM for one year. As the decade
progressed, Holmes' career declined, and he appeared in a few
box-office failures, including Sam Goldwyn's poorly received Nana
(1934). His last American movie was General Spanky (1936). In 1938, he
appeared in two UK movies. Housemaster was his last film, and he
returned to acting on stage in the United States.In 1933, Holmes was
driving with actress Mae Clarke when he crashed into a parked car.
Clarke, who suffered a broken jaw and facial cuts, sued Holmes for
US$21,500 (equivalent to $424,639 in 2019), claiming that he had been
driving while drunk. Clarke dropped the suit when Holmes agreed to pay
her medical expenses.
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